Newswise — R. Richard Geddes, associate professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell University and author of “The Road to Renewal: Private Investment in U.S. Transportation Infrastructure,” comments on calls by President Obama and Vice President Biden to spend $53 billion over the next six years on the development of an intercity high-speed rail network in the United States.
Geddes says:
“President Obama is calling for a high-speed passenger rail to connect our major cities, but the devil is in the details.
“For one, such a system would not be as green as advertised. To achieve the desired high speeds, the entire line must be electrified, requiring enormous amounts of energy, presumably from coal or nuclear sources. And existing freight tracks are not suitable for high-speed rail trains, meaning a new network of tracks must be installed, which, by current estimates, would cost more than $50 million per mile. Moreover, if freight train tracks are used, freight traffic would be disrupted, placing a larger burden on long-haul trucks, increasing environmental, infrastructure and safety harms.
“It is doubtful that the social and economic benefits of high-speed rail can justify such high costs, except in a few very high-density areas.”
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